


Instincts

by Blue_Hood



Series: Becoming Human [1]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background Relationships, Brotherhood of Mutants, Child Abuse, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mutant Politics, Mutants, Not Canon Compliant, Post-X2, Recovery, Redemption, Rescue, Xavier Institute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-22
Packaged: 2020-07-09 17:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Hood/pseuds/Blue_Hood
Summary: Victor Creed is a wild animal in a human body until he's not. Until he meets Vincent Davis, his son who has spent his life being abused by the man he called father. In rescuing his son on instinct, Victor regains some of his humanity.





	1. Moving

_Bastard_ was Victor's first thought as he arrived at the home of his love, Chloe. Instead of Chloe Michaels- who, okay, he'll admit he hadn't seen in years but that was for her own protection, he was a dangerous man to know- he found a grown man beating on a bloody child. A moment later, the man’s throat was gushing and Victor was crouched over the child. The blood all over the child made his scent easier to catch, he smelled a bit like Victor and Chloe. He silently roared in rage, _how dare any man lay a hand on his son?_

Without a word, Victor Creed lifted the boy and carried him to the kitchen, setting him on the counter. Rummaging, he found a few washcloths and wet them down in the sink to wipe away the blood. The medicine cabinet was easy to find, even humans could identify cough syrup by scent. Carefully he cleaned the wounds before applying bandages and gauze. 

Once again carrying the boy, he noticed how his son shook in his arms. Using his son’s scent, he found his room and set him on the bed before retrieving luggage from another room. Dumping the boy’s backpack, he said “Put anything you absolutely must take with you in the bag. Let me know if I grab anything you don’t want.” Victor picked up a paper from the pile of school supplies “Vincent.”

In a shaky voice, Vincent asked “Who are you?”

“My name is Victor Creed, I knew your mother, Chloe.” Victor sighed “I’m gonna take you someplace safe.” Smiling, careful to hide his fangs, he added “The X-Men work there.”

With less of a tremor, he echoed “The X-Men?”

Victor knelt beside Vincent, who was clutching a stuffed lion “Yeah. I’m a mutant like them, like Wolverine.”

“Wolverine?” his voice was losing its fearful edge.

“Yeah, he’s, we know each other. Come on, let’s pack and get going. Help me pick out clothes to take. Are you on any meds?” Vincent shook his head, “I’ll grab a couple things from the medicine cabinet anyway. Fill your backpack with whatever you can’t live without.” Victor grabbed the child's aspirin and all the items he needed to keep the kid- Vincent’s wounds clean. On his way back, he grabbed car keys. He returned and put the first aid supplies in the netting of the suitcase before more neatly packing the clothes his son had chosen. “Anything of your mom’s that you want to take?” Vincent nodded and took Victor’s hand to show him what he wanted.

Once packed, Victor put the backpack on Vincent before carrying both the boy and the suitcase. “We’ll drop the car off somewhere I can get another one, it’s gonna be a long drive.” Victor loaded the trunk without setting Vincent down.

“How long?”

“We’re going to New York, kid.”

“Why are you helping me?”

As he strapped Vincent into the backseat before getting in the driver’s seat, Victor debated how to explain before saying “I didn’t just know your mom, I’m your real father.”

“Oh.”

Vincent was very introverted, his father quickly learned. Victor also learned his son loved seeing the state signs when they crossed the borders. The old mutant had to get used to stopping at least three times a day to eat but Vincent was fine sleeping in the backseat as long as he got to see all the signs.

They ditched the bastard’s car just before the first border, moving into another stolen car. Victor decided to ditch the second car a few states before New York just to be safe, busting up a chop shop to get a vehicle no one would miss. He even called 9-1-1 on the shop and didn’t kill anybody, giving the police an easy bust.

In New York, he stopped at a diner in the city. While Vincent ate, Victor tried to project his thoughts, focusing on one word no matter how stupid he felt trying to call someone mentally _Professor! Professor!_

Soon, a British voice answered in his head _Yes, Mr. Creed._

 _I got a kid with me- he’s mine before you ask- and all I know about your place is that it’s a school in New York. I ain’t got anywhere else to take him._ A moment later, he added _Far as I know, he’s not a mutant if that matters but he knows I am and he knows the X-Men work at the place I’m taking him to._

The Professor took a few moments to think before asking _What assurances do I have that you are not merely using the child to gain access?_

 _Have you seen his mind?_ Narrowing his eyes, Victor asked _Can you access his memories without forcing him to relive them? If you knew how I found him, you wouldn’t ask that._

 _I will look, rest assured he will remain unaware._ The Professor did, coming to a horrifying discovery _Call out to me, just as you did before, when you are leaving and I will guide you to the school._

_Warn your X-Men so they don’t attack me._

_I will._

_And thanks._

_You are most welcome._

Pulling up to the gates, Victor reminded _Make sure your people don’t attack._ He was nervous for his son’s sake.

_Already done. Bring Vincent inside and I will show you both down to the infirmary for a more-_

Victor cut him off _Got it. What’s your name?_

_Charles Xavier._

The ease with which the information was given surprised Victor who brought his stolen car to a stop and opened the back door for his son. He hadn’t really been thinking when he made Vincent change as they packed, beyond bloodstains drew unwanted attention. As he climbed out, the boy put his backpack on. Victor followed his son inside where a man in a wheelchair greeted them. A man in red glasses glared at Victor along with Logan. Opposite the two men were two women, effectively boxing them in at the door and guarding the invalid. Across from Logan was a dark-skinned woman with eyes partially clouded, Victor recognized her as Storm just as he’d recognized Shades as Cyclops and commended the woman on her caution. The other woman, who was the closest to the wheelchair, had red hair and though Victor couldn’t think of her codename, he recognized the telekinetic.

Zoning back in on what was being said, Victor was just in time to hear Charles verbally ask them to follow him to the infirmary. In his mind, the man filled in the blanks _Cyclops is Scott Summers, Storm is Ororo Munroe and the woman closest to me is Dr. Jean Grey._

 _Thanks._ Taking a deep breath, Victor fell back to walk beside Scott “I saw six different places security could be improved if you’re willing to accept some help, consider it a trade for helping Vincent.”

“What?”

Smiling, Victor spoke slowly “I’ll help you fortify this place in exchange for helping my son. Got it?”

“Uh, sure.”

Victor sniffed and glanced at Logan “Someone just opened a beer.” His brother sniffed and confirmed it, drawing Scott away. Victor lengthened his strides to catch up as they neared the elevator.

Charles left them in the infirmary, citing doctor-patient confidentiality to draw Storm out. Victor leaned against the wall by the door, watching Jean examine his son. She asked for his permission to run a few tests, the giant providing comfort for her patient during the blood draws. After running a series of scans, Jean sent them upstairs. Scott was waiting when the elevator let them off on the ground floor "I'm gonna show you to your room."

Stopping at the car, Victor quietly told Scott "This car's from a chop shop a few states over and I don't have any clothes. I haven't slept in over 24 hours." Scott seemed surprised. As they went inside, the older mutant told him "I don't know what to do about the car but I'm gonna get some sleep after the tour. Vincent's not a mutant, keep a close eye on him, would ya?" Scott nodded decisively before slipping into the role of tour guide.

Once Vincent seemed to find friends, Victor slipped back to his room. It was Vincent's room too, at least until they could find acceptable roommate(s) for a young human child at a mutant school. Victor sprawled out on the bed, confident that he wasn't as surrounded by enemies as he'd thought he'd be. When dinner rolled around, Scott knocked on the door "Dinnertime, Vincent's been asking for you."

Victor hurried to his son, "Hey, Vince."

"Daddy," the boy had shyly taken to calling him that, growing bolder when his father said he liked the sound of it. "Where have you been?"

"Sleeping, in the room they gave us."

"Sleeping?"

"Yeah, that thing where you close your eyes for a while and dream."

"I know what sleep is, daddy."

"Well I'd almost forgotten after the long drive here. You got a lot more sleep than me."

"Oh,"

"My fault, I should've stopped at a motel or something. Summers said you wanted me."

"Just wanted to see you, dad." They ate dinner together like many meals before but this time Vincent got to introduce his friends, who he'd be roommates with.


	2. Trials

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is set after X-Men 2, only so far in that John joined the Brotherhood and everyone’s aware of Stryker.

The next day, Scott caught Victor after breakfast "You said you don't have any other clothes."

"I also said I'd help you improve security." He stopped at the door and turned on the gate camera "Look."

"What am I looking at?"

"Have someone stand here so I can show you." At the gate, Victor shoved Scott into position, leaning against the gate "At night or in a storm, the cameras wouldn't get a clear picture. Not sure how good the mic is. You should change the code yearly, use a randomizer so Mystique can't guess it. Maybe encrypt the lock while you're at it. You need more cameras, hide a couple further away for better warning in case someone like me shows up. Keep as much of the perimeter covered as possible, with cameras in case your sensors miss something. Download footage regularly so there's always a copy outside the camera's memory. Traps are unnecessary given who you people are." Victor led Scott back up, pointing out more weaknesses to explain how existing security could be better utilized. He stood inside the foyer, looking smug as Scott processed everything "Last tip, go to your classroom and make a list of tips, I'll review the list and-"

"No need," said Charles as he joined them. "Scott had given me permission to monitor your conversations, all concerns and recommendations have been noted. The list is already made." Victor gave a sharp nod before turning to head to his room. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind helping us in another way." Victor turned back, giving the Professor his full attention "You clearly have a strategic mind as you just demonstrated. Perhaps you could help develop our tactical skills."

"You rely heavily upon individual skills rather than utilize team maneuvers, say using Wolverine to see through visual obstructions created by Storm or Jean Grey's latent telepathy to count enemies so Wolverine can locate them. The Brotherhood often holds the numbers advantage, you rarely fight an enemy one-on-one." A moment later, Victor added, "Your visor is too obvious of a weakness. You all rely on your powers but Logan could fight without his, I doubt you can. Your team should practice retrieving your visor without disengaging in a fight and you should work on fighting blind, take the edge off your obvious weakness." Victor went back to his room for more sleep. Charles and Scott met with the rest of the X-Men to share what Victor had told them.

After Scott finished his report, Logan said, "He's not wrong."

"He certainly gave us a lot to work on," added Jean. "I think that we should run the idea of a deal by him." When Logan gave her a raise eyebrow, she said "A deal that would allow him to legally claim custody of Vincent."

"Yeah or we could set it up first, make sure the government's willing to deal."

"Right."

* * *

After Secretary McCoy was briefed, Victor was called into the Professor's office. Shaking his hand, Hank explained "I'm here to offer you a deal so Vincent doesn't lose another parent."

Victor nodded, "I can tell you where all of the Brotherhood bases I've been to are, they tend to reuse abandoned bases. I might be able to help your people identify Mystique. If she spots any surveillance then the old base will be burned." He crossed his arms "Before I sign any deal, you should read it first. I assume you'll be keeping my location from the rest of the government?"

"Yes, naturally." Hank asked "What are you willing to offer, information wise? Just the bases?"

"Could probably tell you a few of Mystique's favorite civilian forms but that'd lead to profiling, which is okay until it's applied to a majority like white humans." He grinned "Other than that, all I know are rumors like how mutant undergrounds recruit members. That's information I'd give the X-Men not the government."

"Why's that?"

"No matter what the deal says, if any mutant has powers that the government wants then they'll find some way to hold the mutant until they get what they want. Logan left Weapon X so they used a woman who could control with a touch to get close to him. She only did what Stryker wanted because he had her sister."

"I see. Whatever information you give us will surely prove useful," he offered his hand.

Victor uncrossed his arms, taking on a more intimidating open stance "I'm not agreeing to anything until I read the deal." He smirked "Better make sure whoever I'm dealing with doesn't try to stop me from leaving if I don't sign. I could always go vigilante." He stalked out of the room.

"Vigilante? Not exactly the threat I thought he'd use," said Scott.

"But effective nonetheless," added Hank. "If Victor Creed were to do as he said then he'd be a force to be reckoned with. Whatever code he decides to live by, he'd no doubt impose on others through lethal means."

Logan said, "He hasn't said he's leaving the mansion. He only said he'd go that route if the government tried to screw him."

Jean agreed, "He's just warning us that he's not going to repeat the mistakes he made with Stryker."

"Which is why he won't give the government information on mutant undergrounds but he might give us that information," finished Ororo.

"How has he been since he's been here?" asked Hank.

"Helpful," answered Scott. "First thing he did was offer to help improve security, he gave us a list of ways to improve it the next day. He also pointed out tactical flaws. He's been sleeping a lot but he barely slept on the way here."

Charles added "He's also been helping me improve the Danger Room simulations."

"He's just helping and sleeping?"

"Mostly," agreed Jean "He's definitely here for Vincent."

"No matter what he gives us, we will need a full confession to weigh it against."

Jean said "That might not be too hard as long as he has a chance to walk away after giving all the information he's promised. If you don't backdoor him, you should be fine."

At dinner that night, Victor asked Hank "If I could track down the Brotherhood, would that be enough to trade for a clean slate? Magneto and Mystique and whoever they've fooled into following them?"

"If you could track and incapacitated them then yes."

"Done. Eventually, Magneto will want soldiers and when that happens, I'll be able to walk right in. Sooner or later, I'll find them but I'm gonna need the deal in writing. In the meantime, I'll give you the locations we agreed on, anonymously so Mystique doesn't find me out."

Hank smiled "Why the change?"

"Most of my warrants are for murder, no amount of information will make that go away."

"Right, of course." Hank said "I'll bring the deal for you to sign and hold onto it until Magneto is caught for anonymity."

Victor nodded and zoned out the rest of the conversation to plan his moves. Charles picked up on his thoughts but said nothing, lest he spook the feline mutant.

* * *

Under his tutelage, the senior X-Men developed first defensive, then combative skills. With this knowledge, they practiced two maneuvers. Scott sat out early sessions, they were playing keep-away and fetch with his visor. The two recovery maneuvers mastered, they began working on the new simulations Charles and Victor created with Kitty Pryde. The feline mutant was mostly antisocial in a way that reminded everyone of Logan.

The day he signed the deal with McCoy, he began to hunt down Magneto. They agreed he'd start giving up bases a week later if he couldn't track the Brotherhood down in that time. The next day, he called Hank "They're ready for pick up. We got lucky, I found them preparing to deploy everyone on missions. There's a computer and Magneto is old fashioned enough to despise them so chances are, there's more cells preparing to move."

"Alright, remember to surrender when agents move in."

"They're gonna be wearing body cams, right?" On this point, Victor's distrust of the government fit with proper procedure. Hank was to insist on reviewing all footage to ensure that the mutants were not handled improperly.

"That is correct. Send me your location."

Victor didn't return to the mansion until late that night, though he did call to let them know he was doing a ride along. One of the arresting agents wanted to see what else Victor could do for law enforcement and agreed to a one-time only ride-along. They drove through most of the five boroughs as Victor pointed out where he smelled anything that might be connected to crime. The agent radioed all tips into the police, working well with the feral mutant. Before they went out, Victor was sat down with another agent who perused the deal Secretary McCoy had him sign and tried to strong arm the old mutant with it. He simply recited all of the information he'd agreed to share and asked for his phone call, threatening to call the Mutant Affairs Secretary. Hank intervened then and pulled Victor out, watching the young agent ask for Victor's help before facilitating the ride-along.

The day after Victor took down the Brotherhood, he was invited to join the X-Men. Creed said "I'd rather keep doing what I'm doing instead of risk losing control and going into a killer fit." They accepted his reasons and Victor realized that he was no longer doing what he could to earn his keep, that he was now one of them. Even if he never suits up as one of them, he's no longer an outsider.


	3. Pyro

A week after the Brotherhood takedown, Hank McCoy came back to the mansion. Having had his epiphany, Victor wasn’t surprised when he was invited to the meeting in Charles’ office from the start. He was surprised by a group a students’ inclusion, a boy with brown hair asked “What’s going on?”

Hank sighed, which set Victor on edge because in all their stressful dealings, he hadn’t heard the blue man sound so drained. “I have a proposal that I’d like to run by you before I make any moves. It’s about John,”

“Who?” asked Victor.

“John Allerdyce, Pyro.”

Victor nodded “Kid’s in way over his head, I could smell it. He didn’t see me last week, very few in the Brotherhood did.”

“That’s actually good to know.”

“What deal are you planning to offer him?”

“How’d you-” Hank shook his head, he’d dealt with Victor enough to realize the man’s rugged appearance hid a keen mind. “I’d like to put him under house arrest here rather than prosecute him as a lieutenant in the Brotherhood.”

“What would you ask him to trade?” Victor asked “How do you figure he’s a lieutenant? Only Mystique has ever been a true lieutenant.” As all eyes turned to him, “Way I see it, Magneto may have told him he was more important than he is. I doubt he knows anything more than I do and I was strictly an enforcer.”

“Be that as it may, this would be a standard deal.”

“No dice.” With all eyes once again on him, Victor explained “If you’re planning on a trial with a mutant defendant, you’ll need to advertise it.”

“Advertise?” asked Rogue, the girl Magneto kidnapped from a train station.

“Rogue, do you remember Magneto’s trial last time he was caught?”

“Well, no.”

“Because there wasn’t a trial.” Turning back to Hank “If you want a trial, tell the public there’s going to be a trial then there will have to be a trial. That’s the only way anyone can get a standard deal, testimony for immunity. The deal you offer Pyro will have to include an agreement that he will never join the Brotherhood or similar organization again, in more concrete terms. He has to abandon Magneto’s cause to get out clean.” Victor shrugged “That clause will probably act as a loophole around double jeopardy but it’s the only way you’ll get the authority to get Pyro out of trouble.”

Once the shock wore off -the adults were used to him being clever but that had its limits- Charles said “That brings us to the other part of this matter.” He looked at the students “Before we reinstate his scholarship and put him under house arrest here, I need to know he will be accepted back.”

Victor nodded, “Last thing anyone needs is John being driven back towards Brotherhood ideals.”

The brown haired boy- _Bobby Drake, also known as Iceman,_ the Professor supplied- looked to the others, Rogue, Kitty, a large boy _Peter Rasputin, also known as Colossus_ and a blue boy _Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler_ . As they quietly discussed it, Victor sidled up to Charles and projected _I highly doubt someone named Rasputin uses the Americanized form of Piotr._

Charles raised an eyebrow, _You are getting quite good at not shouting mentally._

_I noticed Jean seemed to get headaches, figured I was being too loud for a skilled telepath._

With a smile, Charles accepted that explanation.

The decision was made for Victor to accompany Hank to offer the deal. On the drive over to the detainment facility, Victor read the papers they were going to give John “Says he can never use his mutation in a combative manner, that will need to be compromised on. I doubt humans will differentiate between combative and defensive use.”

“Yet you seemed fine helping that young agent with a ride-along.”

“You know as well as I do that if a mutant is attacked, using their powers only justifies the attack and not using their powers can prove fatal.” Victor finished the page “So far, there’s nothing prohibiting Pyro from being near a flame, which is surprising.”

“What’s surprising is how well you understand legal text?”

“I’ve fought in every war from Civil,”

“To Vietnam, I know.”

“We’re not constantly at war, though we’re not truly at peace even now. If we were, no soldiers would be deployed.”

“Ah, you’re familiar with contractual text.”

“Yup, pretty sure Logan has never read any of the contracts he’s signed.”

Hank let that slide in silence rather than take sides. When they arrived, the Secretary of Mutant Affairs pulled rank to bypass most of the security measures. Unlike Logan, Victor could pass through a metal detector without issue. They were soon seated in a visiting area, which surprised the feral mutant with its openness. Seeming to pick up on his surprise, Hank explained “This is where lawyers meet with clients.”

“Or would be if mutants were granted those rights.”

“That’s what we’re working towards.”

“I know.”

A blonde teen was escorted to the table before Hank waved the guards away. With narrowed eyes, Victor silently catalogued the young mutant’s new injuries. Given that most of the inmate population was made up of Brotherhood members, the injuries were more likely the result of mishandling by guards. Hank set the packet down on the table facing John Allerdyce “Read that in its entirety.” As John did, the older mutant explained “The school is willing to reinstate your scholarship, you’ll be benched from extracurriculars indefinitely but otherwise you’ll be able to resume your old life if you give up Brotherhood ideals.”

John snorted before asking Victor “Why are you here, traitor?”

“I’m here to make sure you’re not lying and as proof of concept, I’ve been at the school for a month. Besides, I didn’t betray the Brotherhood. I quit after Wolverine joined the X-Men.”

John kept reading, the packet was relatively thin for its contents but then again, Pyro lacked the record most people turning states’ evidence have. This was his first arrest and he’d been reported as having gone missing during an evacuation drill, making him a runaway. Victor was sure Hank worked that angle to make this arrangement after forcing the DOJ’s hand to have mutant trials. Closing the packet, he asked “House arrest?”

“The school is listed as your last known address.”

Nodding, he smirked, “You really expect me to fall for this.”

Victor cut him off “Sign and you’ll leave today, with us, just as soon as they process you out so they can’t call you a fugitive.”

His face went blank and Hank handed him a pen as he flipped to the last page, hurrying to sign. Hank stood, Victor hadn’t bothered to sit, the Secretary shook hands with the young inmate. Victor whispered in Hank’s ear “I clock at least ten injuries I didn’t give him. Most of the inmates here are Brotherhood.”

When Hank waved a guard over, he told them that Mr. Creed will be following Mr. Allerdyce through the release process. The large mutant took the box containing the anklet, assuring them that he and Secretary McCoy could handle set up, with a predatory smile. Once they were on the move, Victor said “When we get there, we’ll set up the anklet and take you to the infirmary.” John tried to object but Victor told him “Documenting your injuries will give us some leverage to overcome certain restrictions you’ve agreed to as well as ensure your record is sealed when you turn 18.” He smiled, a more comforting expression than the one he gave the staff at the prison “Perhaps we could even eliminate the backdoor clause that says they can try you for your crimes in the Brotherhood if you join a similar organization, that violates the Bill of Rights.”

“O-kay.” John wasn’t convinced but whatever, as long as he got out of that hellhole.

Entering the mansion, Victor let John’s friends have their reunion before steering the pyrokinetic towards the Professor’s office. “Put your foot on the table so I can put this on.”

Kitty asked Hank, who’d followed along with Bobby, “How many laws would I be breaking if I hacked in to look at his radius?”

Victor replied “Why hack when we have the manual in the box?”

Kitty grabbed the manual and said “That’s a pretty big radius but I was also going to check to see if it measures altitude.”

John said “I’m benched from training.”

Victor chuckled, “The infirmary is in the basement, too.”

“Right.”

Snatching the manual, Victor glanced at the table of contents then flipped to the right page. “It does measure altitude but only if you set it off by violating your radius.” He showed John the page “You can put your foot down, it’s on. Hank just needs to activate it once you’re in the middle of the mansion.” Passing the Secretary the box with the remote, which would be used to remove the anklet once house arrest was lifted, he led the teens to the middle of the ground floor “Here.” John read the page Victor had opened the manual too, finding his radius and other information on the GPS function of the anklet. “I wouldn’t recommend testing your leash, the anklet has an electric charge on it.” Closing the manual, he showed John the cover “See? It’s only legal if they have a very violent crime on your record, which they won’t once you start to testify but I doubt they’ll downgrade your anklet.”

“How do you know that?” asked Bobby.

“While you’re in class, I’m in the library.” That explained things better than his I-read-contracts excuse for understanding legal text.

Hank said “Your anklet is active, all the data will be routed through Mutant Affairs.”

Victor summarized “Which means instead of the Marshals or FBI, Mutant Affairs has absolute authority in your case.”

“Okay.”

Hank said “You know your radius, your anklet’s active, you’re all set.”

Victor passed him the manual on his way out “Read that. Actually read the manual, I don’t know what voltage they set it to but that might need to be adjusted.” Hank nodded to him and left.

Putting a hand on his shoulder “Let’s head to the infirmary, check your ribs.”

Bobby said “See ya later.”

In the infirmary, Victor told Jean “If the Danger Room’s open, I’m going to run a simulation of what I did last week. Pyro’s,”

“John.”

“What?”

“Call me John.”

Victor shrugged “Okay, John’s got injuries I didn’t give him and since the other inmates were mostly Brotherhood members, I’m betting the injuries didn’t come from them either. Only way to properly document injuries and tie them to the guards is to prove what injuries existed before hand.” He left the room.

Jean told John, “Show me what he’s talking about.”

John removed his shirt “He’s only half right.”

“What do you mean?”

“A few injuries were from the guards but most were from before him,” waving vaguely at the door Victor left through.

“So they’re older than Victor knows?”

“Yeah.”

“We still need to document them for the case and I still have to treat them.”

“Right.”

Meanwhile, Victor ran the same simulation multiple times, coming up with the same confusing results. Logan came in “I think he’s had enough,” referring to the simulated man Victor kept attacking.

“John shouldn’t have gone down the way he did, unless,” Victor ran out of the Danger Room, into the infirmary “Most of your injuries predate the raid, don’t they?”

Jumping at the suddenness of his arrival, John shyly nodded. Victor clenched his hands into fists, feeling his claws dig into his palms. With only a hint of concern, Jean said, “You need to calm down before you skewer your own hands.”

Victor unclenched his fists as John asked “Why do you care?”

“Earlier, you asked why I came here.” John nodded and Victor sighed “Have you ever heard of Graydon Creed or the Friends of Humanity?” The young man shook his head.

Jean explained “Graydon Creed founded a mutant hate group called the Friends of Humanity, they were active mostly in the 90s.”

Victor added “Graydon was my son.” He gave a self-deprecating smile, “His mother was Mystique and despite two mutant parents, he was human. You can fill in the blanks.”

“I really can’t,” John said “That was in the 90s.” Victor held up a finger before Jean could jump in “That was years ago, you said you moved in a month ago. That,” the pieces came together “You have another human child.”

“Vincent is young enough that he still might manifest,” said Victor. “His birth certificate lists some bastard with the last name Davis as his father but I’m going to fix that. Davis abused him, I actually found out he’s my son because I could smell his blood when I first saw him. The bastard died too quickly.”

Surprised and confused, John looked to Jean who explained “Victor killed Vincent’s stepfather in a fit of instinctive rage.”

Victor said “Point is, you only make certain mistakes once and Graydon was a big mistake.”

“You think you could’ve prevented his hate?” asked John.

“No, Mystique played a part in that but so did I and unlike Graydon, Vincent had a better mother. Wish I knew what happened?”

Jean stilled “You don’t know? I figured you would’ve looked it up or asked.”

“Looked what up? Ask who? I only know she died and I’m not gonna ask Vincent to tell me how.”

“She was shot,” replied Jean. “They were in a park and she was shot, no one saw who.”

Victor cursed a blue streak before stalking out. John asked “What just happened?”

“Victor came here with Vincent after killing Davis when he caught the man beating his son. He drove almost non-stop cross country. He went to a diner in New York City and he called out to the Professor mentally until he got directions here. When he was awake, he helped out.” Smiling, she said “I don’t think he realized he was one of us until last week when we asked him to join the X-Men.”

“He’s an X-Man?”

“No, he turned us down. Him and Kitty are in the process of updating the Danger Room.”

Charles, cautious man he was, had taken measures to ensure that John’s release was not used as a ploy to expose his students. When Victor came storming up to him, he was mildly surprised. “Telepaths can force calm, right?” The request surprised him and he nodded, “Do it.” Noticing the other man was shaking, Charles complied and nearly overwhelmed the feral mutant with a wave of calm, causing him to collapse into a chair.

“Might I ask what happened?”

“I found out how Chloe died.” That would be stressful, “Vincent saw it happen.” Even more so.

“Ah, I see.” Charles decided to confide in Victor, returning the gesture “My own son has a peculiar mutation.”

“You have a son? By blood?”

“Yes, his name is David Haller. He suffers from dissociative identity disorder, his condition is inextricably tied to his mutation.”

“How so?”

“Each of his alternates have a different power and David, like most patients, cannot control the shift between personalities.”

“Don’t try,” when the telepath looked at him “It’s impossible to control instincts, if his DID is natural then don’t try to control it.” When the look turned incredulous. “Treat each personality like another person, another student, try to teach them control before you try to control the DID.” His tone was not confident, he clearly wasn’t sure if what he was suggesting would work.

Charles countered “Some of his alternates are dangerous.”

“Everyone on the planet is dangerous.” Victor said “Graydon was human but look at what he did.”

“Were you thinking of Graydon prior to learning Chloe’s fate?”

“Yes." He changed the subject back "David’s alternates are dangerous so you’re solution is to turn your back on your son, ignore the problem and hope it goes away. You should be smarter than that,” Victor stood “Without your help, Scott would never be able to open his eyes. How can you offer a student more support than your own son?”

“Due to David’s condition, I couldn’t find him even if I wanted to.”

Victor snorted “I can detect lies better than any machine, Charles.” An idea struck him, “All of the Brotherhood’s bases will soon be empty. If you’re worried about David’s alternates hurting your students, McCoy could get you access to one of those bases for your son’s training.”

Charles shook his head and Victor agreed “Isolation isn’t the answer but isn’t that what you’re already doing?”

Charles said “You do not understand.”

“I am over one-hundred and fifty years old, try me?”

Looking down, Charles said “I tried with David.”

“You accepted him, split personality and all or you tried to fix him. Imagine if you tried to fix Rogue or Jean or even Scott. Do you think they’d still be here if you treated them as a problem to fix?”

“No,” Charles sounded exhausted.

“I knew Vincent was mine because I could smell myself and Chloe on him. Parental bonds don’t rely as much on exposure as humans like to think.” Charles looked up at him in confusion. “No matter if your son believes he’s David Haller or Santa Claus, you can always find him because he is still your son, even if only you believe that.” After a moment, he added, “You should brief the team on your son so we can all help you figure out how to help him.”


	4. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, David.

After light’s out, a meeting was held in the War Room. Victor stood behind Charles as he explained “I have a son named David Haller, his mutation is inextricably tied to his dissociative identity disorder. Each personality has a different mutant gift, some would be quite dangerous without powers. I have tried to help David in the past but recently, I have come to realize that perhaps my methods were ill-advised.”

Having enough, Victor said “Charles has decided to use out of sight, out of mind to handle his son. His alternates are too dangerous to expose the students to but it’s perfectly fine to expose the rest of the world to him.”

Scott asked Victor, “What’s your solution?”

“As Logan and I know better than most, you can’t control instinct but you can choose not to let it control you.” Quoting Charles, he said “His mutation is inextricably tied to his dissociative identity disorder.” Victor growled “That means they’re both equally natural.” Unable to help his glare, he looked at Scott “Some mutations are a double edged sword.”

Jean nodded “He’s right. I can’t believe you turned your back on your own son.”

Charles looked suitably contrite, “I do not know how to help.”

Victor and Logan both rolled their eyes, the former gesturing for the latter to go “You could start by inviting him home and treating him like your son instead of a problem.”

Victor said “I already suggested treating each alternate like a different mutant to teach them to control their gifts but I’m not familiar with dissociative identity disorder beyond the obvious.”

“How old is David?” asked Scott.

“He should be in his thirties now.”

Something occurred to Victor “Is it possible for him to undergo treatment without exposing his mutation?”

“Unlikely but yes, quite possible. Why?”

“Just curious.” Victor asked “Have you tried to locate him today?”

“Yes,”

“Were you actually looking for your son not just doing a routine scan?” Victor’s parental tone reminded the others of his true age, Charles’ answering silence was almost funny.

In an attempt to regain some face, Charles said, “We need a plan.”

“We have a plan,” argued Jean. “We treat David like a normal student, the routine along with training may help.”

“Or having a thirty-something in classes may hinder the learning process?”

Victor raised his eyebrows as Ororo voiced the obvious concern, “Simple solution, due to his mutation David had to drop out. A lot of mutants go through that, it’s not crazy to think Charles could miss one during his sweeps. Especially someone with a clouded mind as a side effect of his mutation, like David.”

Victor had been relieved to learn the school offered a program for elementary school level students. He’d also been confused until he heard the simple explanation, some mutants are born with obvious mutations. Blue skin was the easiest example, incidentally it was true for both Mystique and Kurt.

“That could work,” agreed Jean.

“You’ll have to get David’s permission and keep a close eye on him in case of a shift so you can find the cause to use in training.”

“What do we do when we find a trigger?” asked Scott “We won’t know how to turn him back.”

Victor cut him off with a growl, “Turn him back.” In a clearer voice, he reminded the other man of the plan “Treat each personality as its own person, use the triggers in training so all of his personalities can master their mutations. If he shifts in class then you can tell the students that’s his mutation, which is true.”

The following evening, Charles sent Victor to pick up David. He arrived in time to see the young man panic, which added fuel to the fire of a human mob. Suddenly the mob became confused, Victor took that as his opening, grabbing David's arm and running through a maze of alleys. They stopped in a small alcove, brickwork on one side and cement on the other. The dark haired son of Xavier slid down the brick wall, pulling his knees up to his chest, and asked "Who are you?"

Slouching against the same wall, the large blond man answered "Didn't catch your name either. I'm Victor, Victor Creed. You are?"

"David Haller." With introductions out of the way, he asked the big question "Why'd you help me?"

Rather than admit he'd been sent, Victor extended one claw and drew a vertical line through a brick. Acceptance was typically shared between mutants and the mob had been spewing enough mutant hate that Victor didn't have to say how he knew David was a mutant. The younger man seemed to fold into himself even more but Victor didn't detect recognition so the reason must be self hate "I know a place where you'll never have to deal with that bigoted hate."

"Where? New York?"

"There's this woman who can help you no matter what your mutation is," both of Victor's statements were true, just not connected. "Stand up and we'll go see her."

Swiftly leading David to the doorstep of Agatha Harkness, he caught the younger mutant's wrist to stop him from opening the door and instead knocked. A dark haired young woman answered and Victor threw his hands up in the universal sign for surrender "Peace!" David followed his lead.

An older woman scolded the young brunette as she came to the door "You can put your hands down and come in." They let her lead with the young woman closing the door before following. "Have a seat. Wanda, dear, I don't believe we'll need a guard."

"Guard?" David looked at Victor "What is this place?"

"David Haller, son of Charles Xavier. Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch and daughter of Magneto. Agatha Harkness, mentor to Scarlet Witch and also a witch herself." He finished introductions with himself, "Victor Creed, Sabretooth."

David's eyes widened but before he could react more, Agatha spoke up "Victor was sent by your father to bring you home so you can learn to control your mutation. He had quite a few words with your father about giving up on you."

"I pointed out that treating a family member is the definition for conflict of interest. If you want to try therapy, we'll have to find a mutant friendly doctor."

"Among other things, I've divined."

Victor shrugged and turned his attention to Wanda, who was glaring at him. "I'm really supposed to believe you're an X-Man now?"

"Not an X-Man, been training them, teaching hand-to-hand but," he sighed "Remember Graydon?"

"Of course. How could I-"

He cut off her tirade "I have another son, Vincent. He's young enough to manifest in a few years and old enough to remember his mother's murder. He's actually lost two parents already but I doubt he'll miss his abusive stepfather. I don't trust myself not to lose control and the last thing Vincent needs is to lose another parent."

Wanda told Agatha "I'll go with them, I know the same magic they'll need-"

Victor cut her off "That's David's decision, if he wants to go and if he wants you to go with him. He could always just walk away and we won't stop him. He's an adult, he can make his own choices."

Agatha smiled kindly, "Wanda, perhaps you and Victor should talk in the kitchen while I explain to David what we can offer."

In the kitchen, Victor told Wanda "I tracked down your father and turned the Brotherhood into the government in exchange for a clean slate so I can claim Vincent. Now I just have to figure out how to get an Arizona birth certificate changed in New York because I will not let Vincent carry his abuser's last name for the rest of his life, much less have that fraud listed as his father. I need to fix it but we live at least a two day's drive from the right state."

"You'll probably have to jump through a lot of hoops to get him a New York birth certificate so you can go through the State of New York to change it but I'm not sure."

"Speaking of family, how's your twin?"

"Pietro, I don't know."

"I can smell him in this house before you try to lie."

"Oh," she blushed "He's fine I guess."

Victor hummed, "I was only supposed to pick up David but I caught your scent and figured an alternative to telepathic aid would be a nice change."

"You're definitely different."

"I feel more human. When I found Vincent," he chose his words carefully, "I think that was the first time in a long time I questioned my instincts. Logan's always been more man than monster."

"You're really scared of losing control?"

"Only reason we got exposed in 'Nam is I lost control and Logan tried to stop me. Death by firing squad," he chuckled "it tickled." Sobering, he began "We were in a stockade when in walks William Stryker, offering us a place on his team Task Force X. I wouldn't have cared if he was the Devil incarnate, didn't matter much that Logan was suspicious because we both joined up. Task Force X eventually became Weapon X, the program that bonded metal to my brother's bones and stole his memories."

"Brother?"

"Half-brother, found out we share a father the night he manifested back in 1845. But I'd rather tell him that story first."

After Agatha Harkness explained his options, David Haller chose to go back to New York with Wanda. Upon delivering the news, Agatha asked Victor to call ahead and ask the Professor if they could both tag along. The phone call went well, partially because Charles knew Wanda. Packing up their things, Agatha went with Victor to the jet while Wanda escorted David to his ransacked apartment. She restored the items David wished to bring, keeping him calm. Agatha directed Victor to an easy rendezvous point, where they picked up the younger pair as well as a last minute addition in the form of Quicksilver. The Maximoff twins could never bear to be far apart so Victor figured Pietro would be joining them, clearing it when he called ahead.

Upon landing and completing post-flight checks, Victor grabbed Logan by the arm and led him into the empty War Room. "Do you trust me to tell you the truth?"

Rolling his eyes, Logan said, "Sure."

Victor sat down and told his brother everything, from growing up together to 'Nam to Weapon X. "We're brothers, by blood and bond." Victor stood and went to his room, leaving Logan trying to process everything.


End file.
